I didn’t get to play at Terrapin Hill last night.
After Cornmeal finished their excellent, high-energy set, I took the stage and started setting up my stuff as Donna the Buffalo‘s crew moved their gear into place behind me.
We got as far as the soundcheck before the lightning became frequent enough to portend the arrival of a nasty storm cell. The tarps went up and the musicians repaired to the hospitality tent.
And then the storm hit. Hoo-wee. It was stunning to watch – big bolts of lightning slashing horizontally between cloud masses, cracks of thunder in wide-screen stereo all around – until the force of the rain pinned us down in the tents.
Jordy Risk, Donna the Buffalo’s roadie and merch guy, saved my gear. As the storm grew in power, the tarps didn’t hold, so Jordy got my guitar into its case and covered my equipment first with his shirt, then with a towel, and then with a sleeping bag.
There was a moment when we thought the wind might lift that hospitality tent right up out of there. A bottle of very smooth, high-end Kentucky Bourbon kept our nerves settled, sorta.
About 90 minutes after the delay began, we were told that the show was officially cancelled and we’d better get out of there before the roads washed out and stranded the bus and cars. Jordy went onstage with me and helped me get my pedals and other gear out of harm’s way; we dried each cable and stomp box as I put them into the suitcase. Jordy is my hero today!
The Weather Channel reports nasty weather all through the midwest and east, with dozens of tornados touching down and floods everywhere. This area (an hour or so southwest of Lexington KY) is on high alert. It’s not raining right now, and in fact I just saw some sunlight hitting my guitar strings through my hotel room window, but the clouds are thick and menacing and TWC reports a 90% chance of rain with an estimate of half an inch for the day.
I’m due to play in the Pavilion at 1:30. We shall see.
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